Chapel Hill mayoral race draws 3 candidates

In his fourth campaign for mayor, incumbent Mark Kleinschmidt finally has some competition.

This is a change from his third campaign in 2013, when his only competition was a last-minute write-in candidate.

“I think it was a surprise that I was unopposed two years ago,” Kleinschmidt said, laughing. “We’re a town with a lot of people and a statewide and national brand. For anyone to ever go unopposed would be the odd thing.”

Kleinschmidt's two competitors are former Orange County Commissioner Pam Hemminger and Gary Kahn, who has been a candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council and Board of Orange County Commissioners.

Hemminger said she decided to run because she’s concerned about the direction Chapel Hill is heading.

“Chapel Hill used to stand for things like environmental protection and social justice and a town atmosphere,” she said. “I feel like we’re losing that with a lot of this development.”

Hemminger owns a commercial real estate business and does financial forecasting work for nonprofits. She said she wants to bring in commercial development other than retail or high-end projects, prioritize affordable housing and examine the budget.

“There’s things going on with our town budget that are not sustainable,” she said.

Kahn said his primary motivation to run is his opposition to the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project, a 17.1-mile light-rail line currently in the planning stages and scheduled to be completed in 2025 or 2026.

“More emphasis should be on the current bus situation,” he said. “The Chapel Hill and Carrboro bus fleet is pretty much outdated, and some of the funds that we’re reserving for transit should actually go to repairs and getting buses.”

He said he also hopes to promote town unity by adding a Hanukkah menorah and Kwanzaa candles to the annual Christmas tree ceremony downtown and to use the mayor position to have a greater influence on education.

Kahn, who received 24 percent of the vote when he ran for Orange County commissioner in 2014, said he considers himself an alternative to the other candidates.

“If (voters) are happy with the same old, same old, then (the other candidates) will probably end up defeating me,” he said.

Kleinschmidt said he looks forward to continuing Chapel Hill 2020, the comprehensive plan to improve the town's parks, paths and neighborhoods.

“I’m very proud of the work that we’ve been doing, but there’s still a long way to go,” he said. “I’m looking forward to helping continue guide the community through these difficult conversations and working with everyone in town to develop solutions to the issues that we’re facing in the future.”

He said he’s happy to have other candidates in this year’s race.

“Two years ago when I literally had no one else file for mayor, it was challenging to carve out time to be able to speak to the community,” he said. “I’m looking forward to actually being able to have conversations about the direction our community is moving in.”

@rachel_herzog

city@dailytarheel.com